PSA: Alpkit Airlock taper now in stock

[Brothersmith]

Seems to be ages since this was announced but finally in. Looks perfect for Wildcat tiger

https://www.alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra-tapered

[Dave42w]

Seems to be ages since this was announced but finally in. Looks perfect for Wildcat tiger

https://www.alpkit.com/products/airlok-xtra-tapered

Agreed and I've got my order in already

[psling]

Qudos to Alpkit too for referencing Wildcat (who after all are a business competitor) in their blurb

[Blackhound]

Yes, I noticed that Wildcat reference Pete. Heading over tomorrow to pick one up.

[TheBrownDog]

Thanks for that. Been waiting for these to come in. Order placed and while on the site I see they are now making some of their kit, like their seat bag, to order, with a 48 hour production. Great to see as its been a regular complaint of folks that their stock availability was so iffy. I will stick with my Wildcat Gear bags though.

[Matt]

Cheers for that

[Blackhound]

Picked one up earlier and here is a picture of it:

DSC_0316 by blackhound59, on Flickr

In other news Alpkit had some freeze dried meals for sale though not yet on the website. Require 300ml of boiling water for 500 calories. The plan is to sell them in 'weekend packs' for all your adventures. They were either £5 or £6 each, can't remember now.

Stopped for coffee and cake on the way home and then my key would not fit in the lock, the lock then broke. Took at least 30 minutes to saw through with a knife - where are the bolt cutters when you need them?

It was a cheap lock from Poundland but it had been fine for a few years. It has been fine as a deterrent rather than a city centre / train station lock.

[danielgroves]

Well spotted, and ordered :D

[wingnut]

Thanks for the nod , ordered and received and having not wanted to fork out £65 for a seat harness I think this will do the same job .

[firedfromthecircus]

I got mine today.

Haven't taken it out the postage bag yet though. Are they any good?

[Hoojum]

@firedfromthecircu, surly that's for you to tell us. Go get it out of its wrapping and get some photos up.

I've been waiting for this dry bag for ages as it seems the perfect bag to modify.

Just one suggestion Alpkit.... Black is the new Kelp.

[ianfitz]

Yep. Thanks for the PSA

One ordered in yellow

[Hoojum]

This drybag was worth the wait. I think Alpkit's got it just right with this and with a little modding it'll make a perfect seat pack.

[rudedog]

Received mine the other day. I'd been using a standard airlok extra without any real issues - this just looks so much better/neater though. Like the standard Airlok, the secret to getting it really stable seems to be to pack it as tight/full as you can and then strap it really tight through the saddle rails. The sewn in webbing strap is a nice touch and coupled with the fact that its waterproof make this an absolute steal at £15.

[Farawayvisions]

Mr and Mrs Faraway now with matching tapers from Alpkit. Now to get out for a ride.

[Ian]

I'm sure a few of you are wondering how these bags fit into a Wildcat Tiger, so here's the official word from us on the matter:

There is a good correlation in shape of the nose between the Tiger and Alpkit's Koala bag as both seek to maximise storage volume but not interfere with the pedal stroke. The result here is that the profile of the taper and radius of the nose of the Airlock Xtra Tapered bag fits well into the shape of the Tiger harness. I stuffed mine with two sleeping bags to get it to full capacity and then fitted into the harness. It looks like this:







All the straps are long enough to take the tapered bag at full capacity. Even with the extra length protruding from the rear, the whole unit remained really stable with no "wag" - aided by our secure strap retention design.

For comparative purposes, I tried the tapered bag on the bike without the harness attached. It kind of works, but not anything like as well as it would in a harness (or, I guess the Koala). It tended to sway a bit more, maybe not an issue for some but it would irritate me. Also, the pressure from the straps is concentrated across a narrow surface area and I suspect that in extended use the contents could shift and the straps loosen or they could wear the surface of the dry bag which could compromise function. The benefit of the Tiger harness is that you are distributing the pressure created by the retention straps over a bigger area so that a) you get a more secure fitment and b) better protection for the dry bag.

So, anyway, in summary; as a tapered dry bag to fit into a Tiger harness, I like it. Kudos to Alpkit for getting this to a final product. Getting dry bags made is tricky and it takes a larger company with better manufacturing connections than we have to deliver a functional product at such good value. Whilst Wildcat and Alpkit haven't worked together directly on this, we are both aware of the benefit to the consumer in having something that works between both of the UK-made bikepacking companies

[chris n]

Thanks Ian. I assume that is the larger Tiger harness. Any ideas how the tapered Airlock would fit in the smaller one? I guess there would be way too much spare bag left over.

[Ian]

Good point Chris - the pictures above show a medium Tiger. The small size has a smaller radius at the front and smaller side panels. I haven't tried the tapered bag in one yet, but I think it too bit. For a small size Tiger, I use either a 3 or 5 litre Exped dry bag, which is a good fit and fairly easy to stuff without the taper being much of an issue.

[jameso]

Also, the pressure from the straps is concentrated across a narrow surface area and I suspect that in extended use the contents could shift and the straps loosen or they could wear the surface of the dry bag which could compromise function.

Agree with this. I got one to try as a road-use bag, thinking it may work as a light and simple pack for just a jacket and a few other bits. It'll work to a point but it is compromised by the need to secure it squashing the bag out of shape. I expect I'll stick to using the Tiger. Will check the fit in the small Tiger I have and update, I think it'll be a good bag to use for over-filling the seat pack capacity a bit as it's a more rigid bag when full. It's great that Alpkit are making a bag this shape. I'd like to see the standard Airlock in this shape w/o the extra straps.